Scarlet
by Wakisha
Summary: The Scarlet Letter Rewritten so people can stay awake.
1. Chapter 1

So, I truly thought that _The Scarlet Letter _was the biggest snooze ever. So rewrote it. More drama, blood, etc. Enjoy. If you couldn't stay awake to the original, see if you can for this version.

I do not own _The Scarlet Letter._

Hester Prynne stood upon the scaffold in the town square. She knew why she was up there. She understood why there was a Scarlet Letter upon her bosom. She was a sinner, no, worse. She was an adulteress. This was how sinners, adulteresses, and all of the world's other miscreants were punished. She was well aware that all of this could happen when she had premeditated her transgression.

She had been fully prepared to stand up here and face her shame for the man that she loved. What she hadn't been prepared for was for someone to come unexpectedly into her life that she would love even more. She also wasn't prepared for said child to be shamed as well. The little baby had done nothing of her own fault. Subconsciously, she held the babe closer to her body. Her eyes scanned the crowd. Everyone was there. Her neighbors, her friends, strangers, everyone. Their hushed whispers hit Hester like a wave.

"The bastard child…God help them both…looks like…going to hell."

Hester closed her eyes and bit her lip to hold back tears. She felt all of their eyes burning into her flesh. Upon opening her eyes, she had to hold back a gasp. Her gaze had fallen onto a familiar face that she knew all to well. The fierce anger blazing on his face paralyzed her. His eyes locked with Hester's for a few moments before he moved on. Those few moments seemed to drain Hester of her energy. A murmur passed through the crowd as Hester's form crumpled to the scaffolding.

Hester awoke in her jail cell to her daughter's cries. "Hush Pearl," she coaxed. She clutched Pearl to her Scarlet Letter and hummed a soothing melody, lulling her back to sleep. As she lay Pearl down, a chill went up Hester's spine as she felt a pair of icy eyes staring at her back. She sat up straight slowly.

"Hello, my husband."

"Get up," he ordered icily. Hester silently obeyed and turned to face him. "Who is that bastard's father?" Hester glared at him.

"That _bastard_ is my daughter, Pearl." She softened her expression before continuing. "Please Roger, try to understand. It had been two years. I thought that you were dead, or that you had forgo-" Hester was cut short by a slap that echoed in the cell.

"Insolent woman! Answer the damn question!"

Hester stared past Roger defiantly. With a roar of frustration, he struck her again, this time causing her to fall to the ground.

"Damn it all woman!" he shouted, kicking Hester. "I thought that I had made it clear to you before that you belong to me and me alone!" He kicked Hester again, harder this time. She cried out in pain. The baby that had been sleeping peacefully in the corner was awoken and began to wail. "I should have known better than to trust you alone! How soon after you left did you disobey me? Did you wait a month? A year? Or did you feel the urge to dishonor me the moment that your homeland was out of sight?" The wails of the baby and the force of his kicks became stronger with each question. He continued to beat Hester until he was panting. Wiping his brow, he crouched down next to Hester, who was lying in a pool of blood. "Now," he growled lowly, "I'll ask you again. Who fathered that child? Tell me."

With great effort, Hester managed a defiant smile. "No," she uttered. Her eyes became dull and the shallow rise and fall of her chest ceased.

"What did you do?" came a quiet, horrified voice. Roger Chillingworth turned around to see the jailer, looking wide-eyed and pale.

"Now you listen and you listen well." Roger said, rising up. "She was seized by some demon. I tried to restrain her, but she broke away and proceeded to bash her head against the wall. Follow this story, and you will be rewarded. If you don't, I promise you that you will regret it."

The unholy fire blazing in Roger's eyes frightened the jailer. The jailer nervously cleared his throat. "I-I'll go get the minister. It's such a shame that such a fit of m-madness seized such a young woman." He hastily turned to fetch the minister, stumbling on the way out. Roger then turned his attention to the wailing child in the corner.

The jailer and minister arrived shortly to find the baby wailing in Roger's arms and Roger attempting to calm her. Minister Dimmesdale then turned his attention to the gruesome scene before him. The jailer had told him what had happened on the way there, but he was not sure that he entirely believed the jailer. Now that he was there and he saw the blood on Dr. Chillingworth's shoes, he was definitely sure that the jailer was lying. The minister solemnly walked to Hester's cooling body and kneeled beside her to pray.

Roger looked up from the baby and spoke. "What is to become of this child?"

"It is likely that she will be taken in by a family, or the minister will raise her like he has with other orphans until they have found a home," responded the jailer. For several minutes, Roger looked as if he were in deep thought.

"It is unfortunate that her mother suffered from such a mental condition. I feel guilt over not being able to help her more. I will take the child and raise her as my own."

Minister Dimmesdale looked up quickly. Sorrow briefly flashed through his eyes. He slowly lowered his head again and spoke very softly, almost sadly.

"That is very generous of you, Dr. Chillingworth. I am sure that she will grow up to be a very fine woman under your care."

"Thank you minister. If you will excuse me, I must be getting home. I'm afraid that the child has worn her self out from crying over her mother's antics." He shared a look with the jailer and motioned for him to come with.

"Erm… of course Dr. Chillingworth. Let me show you out." Little baby Pearl looked over her shoulder. The image she saw plagued her dreams for years, but she would always forget about it when she woke. Her mother's now cold body was soaked with blood that matched the Scarlet Letter upon her bosom. The minister kneeled over her, a single tear escaping from his eyes and landing upon Hester's face.


	2. Chapter 2

I'm taking a break from writing my college admissions essay proving that Oedipus was a tragic hero. Ugh.

Disclaimer: Me No Own

Nobody ever spoke of the death of Hester Prynne, at least not when Pearl was around. The only people who knew of the circumstances of Hester's death were those who were in her jail cell that night, and none of them would speak of it. Rumors ran rampant for several months, of demons possessing her, of a violent suicide, and dealings with the Dark Prince. There were even reports of Hester's ghost wandering around town. Many claimed it just to be the wild tales of drunkards, but they swore it was the truth. They claimed to see a woman, covered in blood and wearing a Scarlet Letter upon her bosom, standing upon the scaffold in the town square late at night, her face hidden but eyes shining brightly, staring out into the town square. Eventually all quieted down, but it was still a favorite topic to discuss when there was little gossip.

Many years passed. Pearl grew into a wild child, to say the least. Some of the villagers blamed her unruly behavior on her lack of a mother. Others claimed that she was meant to be a punishment for her mother's sin. Whatever the reason was, it didn't help that Roger Chillingworth spoiled her. Not out of love, but merely because it was more convenient than actually giving her attention. The only caring thing he ever did for her was shield her from her mother's past and what had really happened to her. As her father was aloof and generally uncaring, Pearl ran about the town and did whatever brought her pleasure, including getting in fights with the other children. She gained quite a reputation for herself that prevented her from becoming close with any one. It remained this way all the way through her young adulthood.

Pearl was now sixteen. She was on her daily excursion through the town when she arrived at the town square. Although Pearl did not socialize, she often participated in the public shamings. Today was no exception. A young mother with a Scarlet Letter upon her bosom was upon the scaffold clutching her baby. Pearl joined the crowd near the front jeering the disgraced woman. There was one person not heckling the woman. This caught Pearl's attention. A strange force took over her and compelled her to move towards the man. Before she could register in her mind what she was doing, she started up a conversation with the man.

"Why are you not joining in old man?" The aged jailer responded without taking his eyes away from the humiliated young woman.

"I've been to enough of these in my life young missy. They get old when you have to deal with them so often."

"Why think about it? They have sinned, and they deserved to be punished."

"What of the little babe up there in its mother's arms? Does it deserve to be up there?"

"It is a product of sin, so why not? If you didn't deserve to be up there God would keep you from going g up there."

"And did you deserve to be up there when you were born?" Pearl looked at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"Dr. Chillingworth never told you, did he?"

"Tell me what?"

"The truth about your mother, Hester."

"He told me. How she died from the pox, shortly after the crossing from London. He said that she was a widower, and he took me in as his own." The jailer chuckled darkly.

"Chillingworth was always a good liar."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want missy, I was there, and I know what happened that night she died. Why don't you go and ask the Doctor? "

"I will, just to prove that you are nothing but a liar," Pearl said with a hint of doubt.

"If he tells you the same story, you pay a visit to the minister. He's a good man. He'll tell you what happened. If he doesn't, well then you come see me again."

It was nearly sunset. The jailer spoke.

"Her time is over. Maybe she learned a lesson, maybe she didn't. That's up to God to decide. Not us." With that he went up on the scaffold and brought the woman down and led her into the jailhouse.

The crowd began to disperse. Pearl stood there for a long time. Could the man that raised her truly be lying to her about her past? If he was, Pearl was going to find out, no matter what the cost. As Pearl finally turned to leave, she saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her turn around quickly. There was nothing there. She could have sworn that she saw a woman standing upon the scaffold, wearing a scarlet dress. The wind gusted out of nowhere and a chill was sent up Pearl's back. Hugging herself tightly, she turned to go home. She threw one last glance over her shoulder and hurried home. The ghost appeared once again and gave a small smile before disappearing into the night.

OoOoOo……


End file.
